jameverywhere
In the Brooder
- Mar 6, 2021
- 26
- 44
- 47
I knew I wanted to be a chicken mom *someday*, but I didn't realize it would happen so quickly!
Background info: I live on Oahu, Hawaii, in a part of the island with no restrictions on chicken ownership. This part of the island is crawling with free-ranging chickens, both feral and domestic, including roosters who cock-a-doodle-doo all day. The only chicken predators we have are feral cats and mongooses (and off-leash dogs I guess, to a much lesser extent). Native wild jungle fowl are a protected species iirc, but I don't think there are any pure-bred jungle fowl around anymore as they've been interbreeding with domestic chickens for decades.
When I was walking around the other day I found a feral mama hen that was clearly dying... she couldn't stand up or move her wings, and kept trying to lift her head and failing. Her eyes were completely blind and she seemed completely out of it. She had four babies wandering around her cheeping very loudly, and they took shelter under her broken body when I approached. Mama hen was completely unresponsive to touch, just kept trying and failing to lift her blind head. So....... I got a cardboard box and I stole her babies. (I went back later to check on the mama hen after getting her babies sorted and she had died.)
I now have four babies. Judging from internet pictures they seem to be a week old. Obligatory photo:
They're in a large plastic tub in a room with an open window for ventilation (although I do close the window on colder nights). They have a large 60-watt incandescent bulb for a heat lamp, since this is Hawaii so it doesn't get colder than like 69 degrees at night. Judging from what I've read they are neither too cold nor too hot. They like to cuddle near or right under the lamp, but they aren't piling, and sometimes sleep further away from it.
For bedding I have pine shavings although I will probably use shredded paper sometimes too because I can get bunches of that for free. I gave them a tray of chick starter feed that I refill frequently and a dish of water (with big rocks in it so they can't drown) that I replace twice daily.
I've had them for three days now and have been reading these forums excessively since. Decided to make a post in case any of you guys have advice for adopting feral chicks specifically. I gave them some garlic for worms before realizing that I need to get them chick grit first so I'll get them some of that before I try to feed them any more plant matter (although they probably did get some grit with their mama already). I'm wondering if I should pre-emptively treat for lice/mites since they were wild before I got them, although I didn't see anything on a cursory check. What if I just gently bathe them tonight and completely clean out their brooder, then check for parasites again a week or so later?
Also, any tips for bonding with chicks that were with their mom for their first week of life? They're still terrified of my hand in the brooder, and panic when I grab them to check for parasites etc., but they calm down after a few seconds of being held. Do they like being held gently and pet or is it just stressing them out?
When they get older the plan is to build a coop in the back yard and let them free-range during the day (we have a sandy yard full of ants) and lock them up in the coop at night. I'm hoping I have 0-1 roos, because then I can keep them all, but if I have 2 or more roos I'll have to decide who to get rid of so they're not fighting all the time.
Also, do y'all think their mother was sick with something contagious that these chicks might also have? Do you think the mom had Marek's? If it is Marek's I can clip their wings to keep them in the yard and make sure not to get any other chickens until these die (hopefully of old age!) I've been googling and can't find out if Marek's even exists in Hawaii or not. My other hypotheses are that the mom got botulism, or was physically injured in a way that caused paralysis. Her eyes could have had cataracts I guess but it looked more like her third eyelid was stuck closed or her eyes were swollen shut, so I'm not sure Marek's is really the answer. She was able to move her legs, head, and wings, but seemed very very weak and kept collapsing every time she tried to move.
Anyway yeah just any general tips, tricks, or help with these feral babies would be appreciated! I just want them to have a good chicken life. If I get some eggs out of the arrangement that would be great, but that's not my primary goal.
Background info: I live on Oahu, Hawaii, in a part of the island with no restrictions on chicken ownership. This part of the island is crawling with free-ranging chickens, both feral and domestic, including roosters who cock-a-doodle-doo all day. The only chicken predators we have are feral cats and mongooses (and off-leash dogs I guess, to a much lesser extent). Native wild jungle fowl are a protected species iirc, but I don't think there are any pure-bred jungle fowl around anymore as they've been interbreeding with domestic chickens for decades.
When I was walking around the other day I found a feral mama hen that was clearly dying... she couldn't stand up or move her wings, and kept trying to lift her head and failing. Her eyes were completely blind and she seemed completely out of it. She had four babies wandering around her cheeping very loudly, and they took shelter under her broken body when I approached. Mama hen was completely unresponsive to touch, just kept trying and failing to lift her blind head. So....... I got a cardboard box and I stole her babies. (I went back later to check on the mama hen after getting her babies sorted and she had died.)
I now have four babies. Judging from internet pictures they seem to be a week old. Obligatory photo:
They're in a large plastic tub in a room with an open window for ventilation (although I do close the window on colder nights). They have a large 60-watt incandescent bulb for a heat lamp, since this is Hawaii so it doesn't get colder than like 69 degrees at night. Judging from what I've read they are neither too cold nor too hot. They like to cuddle near or right under the lamp, but they aren't piling, and sometimes sleep further away from it.
For bedding I have pine shavings although I will probably use shredded paper sometimes too because I can get bunches of that for free. I gave them a tray of chick starter feed that I refill frequently and a dish of water (with big rocks in it so they can't drown) that I replace twice daily.
I've had them for three days now and have been reading these forums excessively since. Decided to make a post in case any of you guys have advice for adopting feral chicks specifically. I gave them some garlic for worms before realizing that I need to get them chick grit first so I'll get them some of that before I try to feed them any more plant matter (although they probably did get some grit with their mama already). I'm wondering if I should pre-emptively treat for lice/mites since they were wild before I got them, although I didn't see anything on a cursory check. What if I just gently bathe them tonight and completely clean out their brooder, then check for parasites again a week or so later?
Also, any tips for bonding with chicks that were with their mom for their first week of life? They're still terrified of my hand in the brooder, and panic when I grab them to check for parasites etc., but they calm down after a few seconds of being held. Do they like being held gently and pet or is it just stressing them out?
When they get older the plan is to build a coop in the back yard and let them free-range during the day (we have a sandy yard full of ants) and lock them up in the coop at night. I'm hoping I have 0-1 roos, because then I can keep them all, but if I have 2 or more roos I'll have to decide who to get rid of so they're not fighting all the time.
Also, do y'all think their mother was sick with something contagious that these chicks might also have? Do you think the mom had Marek's? If it is Marek's I can clip their wings to keep them in the yard and make sure not to get any other chickens until these die (hopefully of old age!) I've been googling and can't find out if Marek's even exists in Hawaii or not. My other hypotheses are that the mom got botulism, or was physically injured in a way that caused paralysis. Her eyes could have had cataracts I guess but it looked more like her third eyelid was stuck closed or her eyes were swollen shut, so I'm not sure Marek's is really the answer. She was able to move her legs, head, and wings, but seemed very very weak and kept collapsing every time she tried to move.
Anyway yeah just any general tips, tricks, or help with these feral babies would be appreciated! I just want them to have a good chicken life. If I get some eggs out of the arrangement that would be great, but that's not my primary goal.
I can't advise you on what could've been wrong with their mother but it was good of you to take over where she couldn't.
